a messenger
by grandpa garbage
Summary: "Have you ever heard of the crow people? They live in the forest that surrounds the village. But it's just local folklore. No one has ever… seen them before."


disclaimer: lyrics are from The Moment I Said It by Imogen Heap.

* * *

 _I'm losing you  
I'm losing you—_

Glittering white dusted sleepily over pines, their branches like fingers reaching out to shield her, protect her.

Her chest heaved, features contorted beyond recognisable expression. Blood pooled in her cheeks, wet with snow and wet with tears, snot.

The ground was cold. The edges of her bare skin stung, frozen, kissed with frostbite. Everything hurt, but it hurt so much she almost felt nothing at all.

She'd lost track of time, of how long she'd been lying on the half-dirt, half-icy ground, letting the tears spill and sobs fill the dead silence of the sleeping forest. She wanted to lie there and wait, wait until the snow buried her under, until she was no longer aware of her crumbling heart and broken mind.

 _Trust me on this one,  
I've got it bad for you.  
Trust me on this one—_

Rin knew she was stupid, stubborn and hopeful.

He wasn't coming back. But still, she waited, she wished, wished for some sign or something, anything at all – just to see him, see him one more time.

 _I'm sorry_ , she could hear him whisper in her mind.

 _It's for the best_.

She reached out for his hand, pale and slender, warm and gentle. Threaded her fingers between his and held him there so he couldn't get away again.

"I've missed you," she said, with a voice that sounded hardly like her own. "Len."

His gaze softened. He parted his lips to say something, but he couldn't speak. Something in him was broken, broken, breaking – the pain in his eyes, they told a million stories.

Rin pulled him down into an embrace, his soft body melting into hers. His arms were like home. His arms were like home and she never wanted to leave them.

"Please don't go again," she cried into his shoulder. She ran her fingers over the soft down on his back, over the sleek, broad feathers that curled around his upper body. Black like ink, like the night sky, sucking her in and lulling her to sleep.

 _I have to_ , his voice said. _It's for the best._

"Stop lying. You know it isn't, you know it –"

Her arms fell back against her chest, filled with empty, open air. He'd disappeared into nothing, nothing at all.

 _(Gone, gone, gone.)_

Rin let out a wail, digging her fingernails into her shoulders.

"You never said goodbye," she told him. "You never said _goodbye!_ "

In response, something up above called out into the empty forest, and she fell silent, staring ahead into the trees.

A pair of curious, beady eyes watched back.

" _Caw!_ " it screamed at her from the maze of branches, a judgement, an observation.

The crow spread its black wings and took off from its perch, swooping down to the ground nearby. It stared at her, careful, curious.

" _Caw!_ "

Rin slowly pushed herself up off the ice, bones groaning and body protesting. Despite her movement, the creature stayed put, watching her. Eventually, it turned and hopped a few metres away, before looking back.

" _Caw!_ "

It waited.

She got onto her knees, before regaining balance on her feet.

It waited.

She took a step towards it, then another.

A metre closer, the bird took off again, perching in some trees nearby.

And waited.

 _Follow it_ , a voice told her. _It'll take you home._

"Len," she breathed.

A breeze rustled the pine trees, like the forest was sharing a secret she couldn't comprehend. The crow called out once again, nodding its head, almost as if beckoning her forward.

Her head played her memories over and over, like a broken record.

 _"_ _Have you ever heard of the crow people? They live in the forest that surrounds the village. But it's just local folklore. No one has ever… seen them before."_

 _"You shouldn't be here."_

 _"I love her."_

 _"I love_ you _."_

 _"He's gone, Rin. I'm sorry."_

 _"The forest is a place to die, anyway. Those who don't want to be found; they go there and never come back."_

She opened her eyes.

* * *

 _You're gonna throw it all away  
With no hesitation._

* * *

rin is a furry and likes bird porn (crow porn). so tempting to name this something like CAW CAW! or Bird Screams At Emo Depress Teen In Spooky Forest.

anyway.

i am going bye-bye... to a better place, aka my throne in hell. more details on my profile.

thank u for reading my fanfics and supporting me and being my friends. :) i was unjustifiably shit so like, no worries. thanks a lot tho.

here is a fanfiction of my own fanfiction as consolation. i thought it would be a nice way to Finish Piriluk.


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